Residents demand basic amenities

Fed up with the lackadaisical attitude of the Hubli-Dharwad Urban Development Authority (HDUDA) towards providing basic amenities to residential layouts near Suttur, the local people have announced a ‘rasta roko' on Friday.

The residents' forum leader, Y.M. Arawaladh, told presspersons here on Friday that over 1,000 people would organise a protest rally and block vehicular movement on National Highway 4 at 10 a.m. The residents have complained that the authorities had turned a deaf ear to the problems faced by people in the area.

HDUDA developed the layouts, including Suttur, Vanasiri Nagar, Rajaji Nagar, KHB, Ashraya colony, Kareamma Nagar and Basaveshwar Nagar, and allotted them through public auction in 1997.

So far, 8,000 houses have come up in the area, and the population has crossed 35,000.

However, basic amenities such as proper roads, drinking water, drainage facility and streetlights have not yet been provided in these layouts. HDUDA was duty bound to provide amenities but they failed to discharge their duties, they said.

Coming down heavily on HDUDA chairman Datta Dorle, he said all the pleas made to Mr. Dorle in this regard have only fallen on deaf ears. Even the promises made by Chandrakant Bellad, Hubli-Dharwad (West) MLA, did not see the light of day.

Last year, the residents gheroed Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar and Mr. Dorle when they visited the layouts for inspection. Mr. Shettar had instructed the HDUDA officials to immediately launch road works both main roads and interior roads.

However, the adamant officials have ignored the instructions of Mr. Shettar and did not initiate any works, they alleged.

The residents face hardships mainly during the monsoon as the roads go into a bad state.

The condition of the interior roads is worse. Children are forced to skip school during monsoon as the roads would be filled with mud and slush. People are forced to park their vehicles in far-off places.

Demands

Their demands include that HDUDA and KHB take up roadworks immediately; provide clean drinking water; create space for a burial ground; install garbage bins; regularly clean pits and install streetlights.

More than 1,000 people would participate in the road blockade, he said and added that it would be withdrawn only if the elected representatives and HDUDA officials give a concrete assurance.